This application generally relates to data processing and, more particularly, to automated electrical financial or business practice or management arrangement.
Shared or common shopping carts are known. When a customer electronically shops online merchants, the customer establishes an electronic shopping cart. Some online merchants accept and recognize a common or universal shopping cart, in which the customer's shopping cart contains items from multiple merchants. That is, the customer visits multiple merchants and fills their cart with items from one or more of the merchants. Despite the different merchants, the customer makes a “single check-out” transaction.
These shared or common shopping carts, however, can be improved. As the customer electronically shops the various merchants, there is no easy method of comparing each merchant's products and services. The customer must locate an item at one merchant's website, then logout and visit a different merchant's website. If multiple merchants offer similar items, the customer must visit each merchant's website and make comparisons. What is needed, however, are advancements that automate comparison shopping and that promote competition amongst merchants.